Jay Springs's Story

Jay sat at the back, not paying much attention to the service, well apart from a few quick glances up. If they want to vandalise the tree, I'll keep it clean on paper. He thought to himself as he scribbled the final pieces in. Jay closed the pad and looked up to the headmistress from where he sat.
"How wrong is that bitch?" He heard the all to familiar voice of Samson. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Abbi could be nice... on the eyes, but seriously model pupil with flaws, victim." He scoffed. Jay glanced at him through the corner of his eyes. "Fuck off Samson." Samson shrugged and watched the headmistress finish up. "I mean it, this is a memorial and I don't want to look crazy." He whispered, the figment of his imagination laughing but never leaving.

In a window just over looking the ceremony a silhouette can be seen watching it.

Emma stood at the front of the crowd, a few inches away from everyone else so that her personal space would not be invaded, and listened half-heartedly to what the Headmistress was saying about that Abbigael Parnell girl...'that poor little dead girl'.
She rolled her eyes at some of the things that were coming out of the woman's mouth, and glanced behind her into the rest of the crowds. She knew it both looked and sounded bad, but the truth was, she just didn't give a shit. It was stupid that everyone was putting this chick on a pedestal...she was a fucking nutter. She had next to no moral values, she liked to treat the rest of the school like shit, and she could never shut her fucking mouth when she was alive...and, it was a morbid thought, but...at the back of Emma's mind, she couldn't help but feel it a positive thing that she couldn't open it up again now.
Nevertheless, she knew she had to make an effort to at least pretend to care, or she'd be in deep shit before long with the staff. And so she tuned in to the droning voice of her superior every now and then to catch the basic gist of the speech.
While listening, she absentmindedly twirled a loose lock of her dark brown hair which had fallen down into her face around her index finger, the rest of which had been specifically styled with loose waves and put into an updo on the top of her head. She wore an extremely short skirt, which had been flowing down to just before her knees when she bought it but now only just qualified as a skirt with how much she'd taken it up, a thin pair of tights under it, a pair of satin 4-inch heels, and a long flowing coat, purposely unbuttoned with the collar flared up at the back of her neck. All black, of course...and while people would probably see it as an act of respect on such a tragic occasion, she was simply wearing it because she thought it looked sexy. Not that she would correct people if they assumed it was for a genuine reason. She was all for praise.
With a small smile on her face, she looked around her again before looking back at the Headmistress, nonchalantly reapplying more blood-red lipstick to her lips, then looked around yet again, searching for some kind of visual stimulation to get her through this whole service. And, sure enough, she found it, or rather, found him, sitting at the back of the Quad by himself.
Keeping her head turned that way she watched him, trying to catch his attention, and when she eventually managed to, she winked seductively and quickly turned her head back again, biting her bottom lip with a small smirk of pride plastered onto her face. She knew she could have any boy, or girl, she wanted in this place, and she already had the one she wanted picked out. Sure enough, Jay Springs was a challenge...but she had no doubts that he was worth it. And, anyway...if there was one thing Emma Scott loved, it was a challenge.

Standing towards the back of the Quad was Zachary Milburn, his right hand inside his pocket and fingering with something inside it, and drawing patterns on the ground with the toe of one of his navy blue converse shoes. He was whistling quietly to himself, not loud enough to distrupt the service, but still loud enough to draw a bit of attention from those around him. And, should one turn to look, he would meet their eyes and beam at them; a toothy, sinister grin which quickly diverted their eyes back to the front.
He knew he scared people, and frankly, that was how he got his kicks.
Shaking his head slightly to push his hair out of his eyes, he took a moment to glance over at his friend Aislin and gave her a small nod, taking his hand out of his pocket momentarily to form a small salute and then lifting it to his mouth as he noticed a small red dot of blood on the end of his index finger. That's strange, he thought silently to himself, opening his pocket slightly and looking down at the small silver pen-knife inside it, blade pushed up. I didn't even feel it break skin...
He shrugged slightly, a smile still playing at his lips, and put his hand back inside the pocket, diverting his attention elsewhere around the room in boredom.

Greyson gulped quietly as he pushed his way through the doors into the Quad, his cheeks flushing a pale pink as a few people turned their heads to look. Having been late already twice this week, he was really pushing it by doing it again. And to be late on the day of Abbigael's memorial only made it that much more disrespectful. But still, he couldn't help it. He'd had one of his 'episodes' the night before, completely crashed on the couch at home, and so hadn't woke up in time. He knew the staff understood, but to be honest, it wasn't their opinions that mattered. Langdon was like a lion's den...only here, it was much more dangerous.
Breathing a small sigh of relief when he saw that not everybody had turned to see him and his tardiness, he quickly made his way from the back of the Quad to the back of the crowd, where his friend Lissa stood. He had no doubt she'd be pretty upset about this...she was just like that. She had that sympathy, that compassion for others...and in some ways, he was pretty sure that was what he loved most about her. Just the fact that she was genuine, and real. Which was something hard to find in their current environment. He knew she hadn't always been like that, but...that was a whole other story.
"Hey...you okay?" He whispered quietly over her shoulder, gently placing his hand on her arm as he eased himself into the crowd, then winced slightly and immediately regretted his choice of words. "I-I mean...of course you're not...stupid way to put it...but...you get what I mean?" He gave her a weak smile, glancing over at the Headmistress as she spoke before looking back at his little friend.

Jay noticed Emma winking at him, but he ignored it, his cheeks turning a bright red and his hood going up to hide his face so she would notice, if she did he might have died of embarrassment. "Go on, go over and talk to her." Samson urged him, but Jay ignored him, he watched Emma from the corner of his eyes, he watched her walk over to Zac, Aislin and Jamilyn. "Oh there goes your chance." Samson laughed. "She's with people, if you go over there you'll only crap yourself." Jay's eye twitched and then he stood up and walked away, leaving the memorial. "Fuck it, I barely knew the bitch anyway." Jay said aloud as he walked off, ignoring anything the headmistress shouted at him and pushing past the people in his way.

The silhouette smiled as she watched Jamie delete her from her contacts, she looked at the phone, she was flicking through her apps. "That was just rude." She sighed, then she noticed movement from the crowd and one person, Jay, leave. So she did the same.

After looking at Lissa for a few moments, Greyson's smile broke into one which was both brighter and felt more real to him. He was beginning to slip back into his comfort zone, and as he managed to tell she wasn't forcing her own as much, it pushed him over the edge.
"You're very welcome..." He replied cheerfully, lightly draping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her into another half hug, this time more of a casual friendly embrace than the one earlier, which had been to show her he was there for her if she needed him. He was still going to be there now, of course, but...he figured this kind of attitude would boost her mood a little. And even the smallest smile from Lissa, as long as it was genuine, had the power to brighten his whole day.

Emma caught movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to see what the drama was, then blinked as she saw Jay pushing his way towards the exit of the Quad. She knew he'd seen her winking at him this morning, but...he hadn't responded back with the same enthusiasm. He'd just pulled his hood up and looked away. And she couldn't help but wonder if that meant he wasn't interested.
But...c'mon...who wasn't into her? Not many people...and the ones that applied to, she didn't bother with. That was just how she liked to do things. But there was no way he was one of those few. Or, at least, he wouldn't be...not once she was finished with him.
Standing back up as she watched Jay exit, smoothing down her skirt and lightly fluffing her hair, she sauntered after him with a small smirk on her face, pulling the same red lipstick and reapplying it yet again before putting it back into the pocket of her coat.
"Hey! Hey, you! Hood guy!" She called once she'd followed him into one of the empty hallways, picking up the pace of her walking to close the distance between them.

Zac at first rolled his eyes, annoyed at having his own tricks thrown back at him, then grinned slightly and leered down at Aislin. "Well...I think it's only fair that if I gave you that blood...you'd have to keep your end of the bargain, too..." He winked. "And, basically...I'm saying that I am over her, but I'd still fuck the shit out of her if I ever get the chance."
He looked over at Jamie and laughed softly, smirking. "Why? You offering?" He teased, before giving another soft laugh and directing his attention back to the floor, leaning back against the wall.

Jay stopped and turned around, looking to see Emma following after him. He sighed and waited for her to catch up. "I... I have a name." He told her, crossing his arms, trying to get her to go away by being ruder than usual. "I think she's planning on sneaking to a street corner later." He heard Samson giggle, but ignored it. "Can I help you anyway?" He asked her, his head tilted slightly. He heard heavy footsteps above him, but he ignored them, thinking it was just his imagination or Samson...

Greyson looked down at Lissa, smiling warmly as she did, his mood continuing to pick up and feeling more and more energetic and happy every moment.
When she rested her head on his shoulder, he laughed softly, glancing around them into the empty hallway.
"Woah, woah, woah...are you sure you want to be doing that? Someone might see and get the wrong idea...think we're dating, or something...and I have a cool dude reputation to uphold..." He teased, giving a small wink down at her and mimicking the action of pulling sunglasses from his eyes with the arm that wasn't wrapped around her, grinning like a mischevious child.

"...Wow...well aren't you just a little nympho..." Zac smirked at Aislin, reaching down and lightly ruffling her hair as he mocked, then glanced around, putting his hand back into his pocket again. "I mean...I guess I could offer you a little...as long as this wager, or...something just as valuable to me as what that would have been...will stay standing..." He gave a subtle nod toward his now open palm which he had just pulled back out, the open penknife resting, blade open, in the middle of it. "But...I hope you know I'm only doing this because I love you. You're a psychotic bitch with major mental health issues, but...aren't we all, deep down?" He laughed softly, looking back around at the rest of the people in the Quad.

Emma smiled brightly as she reached Jay, taking a final few small steps until she stood directly in front of him.
"I know...Jay, right? Sorry...I'm bad with names..." She replied with a small girlish giggle, her voice raising in pitch slightly, and lightly rested her hand on his arm for a second, before taking it away again and fiddling with her coat collar. "I remember faces, though...bodies..." Her eyes travelled down the length of him, head to foot and then back again, smiling as seductively as she could manage and fluttering her eyelashes slightly as they made eye contact.
"Well...the ones that are worth remembering, anyway..."

Jay's face lightened up when she smiled, his cheeks turning slightly red when she touched his arm, giggled and fluttered her eyelashes, everything made him nervous around her. "Are you flirting with me?" He asked. "I mean, flirting at a memorial services is kinda low." He felt he had to get rid of her before he really embarrassed himself and scared her off. "You're not wearing that outfit for the memorial are you?" He asked, his eyes scanning her outfit.

Grey laughed softly, smiling down at Lissa.
"Shut up...you know I'm kidding..." He lightly bumped her arm with his fist, not strongly enough to move her, but just letting it brush against her. "And I know you didn't mean for it to be like that...I'm just messing around. If anything, you're way too good for any of us here." He smiled, shrugging slightly. "You'll do great things, Lissa Marshall. Trust me on that." He said with another wink.

"Yeah, yeah...whatever..." Zac rolled his eyes, laughing softly and drawing more shapes on the ground with his foot as he leant upright on the wall. "Just don't make what you're doing too obvious...especially if you're gonna make me stand here while you do it. Any other place around this school is a little less risky, but...yeah, regardless of where, just be a little more subtle than usual. Because I know how unsubtle about shit you are."

"Well, hey...let's not get ahead of ourselves, now..." Emma gave a small laugh, quieter this time, still smiling sweetly at Jay. "I wouldn't say flirting, as such...just engaging in conversation...breaking the ice...and, I'm sorry, if that's offended you...that really wasn't my intention. I just kind of thought that, Abbigael wouldn't really want us to be sad today...she'd probably just want us to cause extra trouble on her behalf, God bless her soul...and I'm just trying my best to keep my mood up and trying to make everyone else see that, too...and when I saw you leave the service just then, I thought you seemed upset, and I...well, I just wanted to help..." She said quietly, her smile retreating back to being barely there, although inside, she was beaming from ear to ear. She'd even amazed herself at how easily she'd found it to think up that little speech on the spot like that...it filled her with a new sense of pride that she knew couldn't be taken away from her. And the fact that she'd said all of that while watching the blush rising in the cheeks of the boy she was currently facing, she was on a whole new high. One she wouldn't come down from any time soon.
Upon hearing his comment about her choice of clothing, she looked down and gently smoothed down her coat, debating whether to pull her skirt down afterwards, but abandoning the idea and instead feigning a shyer, humble smile.
"Oh, and...well, I don't really have a lot of black clothing at home, but...I just felt like it was the right colour to wear, y'know? But I still wanted my outfit to look nice, so...it was just an added benefit that it doesn't look too bad on me...at least, I hope it doesn't..."

Jay nodded. "No, I'm fine. Just got a bit bored, you know?" He let out a little laugh. "Oh no! I didn't mean that!" He apologised. "It's just ah... uhm." He shook his head and rubbed the back of it. "The one thing you didn't want to do." He heard Samson laugh. "Yeah, I'm just gonna leave before I embarrass myself or yourself any further." He spun on his heel and started down the hall, away from Emma. "Smooth." He heard Samson giggling.

"Hey...I get it..." Emma said, smiling warmly at Jay and laughing slightly with him. "Humans are programmed for being able to do things...y'know, to have constant stimulation from the things around them...both mentally, and physically...and, standing around in a crowded place with at least 30 other people, listening to someone talking for hours on end doesn't really satisfy either of those...especially when you never really had a close personal relationship with whoever the topic of conversation was, so you kind of struggle to engage in what's being said...but then you feel like a douche if you express that that's the way you feel, and so you don't, and...well, it's a vicious cycle..." She huffed, her smile beginning to fade as Jay began to stutter, and then disappearing completely as he turned and started to walk away.
"...Jay...?" She called after him half-heartedly, her expression showing clearly her confusion as she watched him. She hoped he'd acknowledge she'd spoken, and wouldn't just pretend not to hear her...maybe even turn around and come back over to her, although she didn't hold her breath on the latter. She could see that he wanted to get away from her, for whatever reason...and although it could be taken as flattering, due to the fact that she may make him nervous...it still pulled her own self-esteem down a little. But still...maybe he'd pleasantly surprise her.

"...I mean it..." Greyson said quietly, smiling. "And someday, when we're all grown up and off doing our own things, you're gonna pick up the phone when it rings and I'll be on the other end saying 'I told you so'...but if you ever become filthy rich in the future, I expect you to be the one calling me." He added with a laugh, then let go of Lissa and took a few steps down the corridor in front of them. "But...oh my God, I wish that day would come already. I can't wait to get out of this hellhole..." He lightly banged his fists on the door of one of the lockers, still giving her that charming smile.

Zac raised an eyebrow slightly, laughing softly and giving a quick glance down towards his knife. "Y'know...I've never really fully gotten the whole 'drinking blood' thing...like, what's so good about it..." He said, casually stratching at the small cut on his index finger that was beginning to heal. "You'll have to explain it to me sometime...I mean, I know the whole teenage population of the world are going gaga over all this Twilight, Edward Cullen, please-suck-my-blood-because-you're-fucking-hot-and-I'm-a-needy-fangbanger kind of shit, but...it'd kind of be interesting to hear what all this vampirism's like in real life..."

Jay stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Yeah?" He asked, he wanted to stay, he really did, but he was just a big ball of embarrassment and stupidity around her, she made him so confused about everything. "It's not you." He smiled to her. "It's me." He said it in a jokey way and wait for a response before making the decision to leave or stay a bit longer.

Emma's smile quickly made it's way back onto her face as Jay looked back at her.
"That's what they all say..." She said, crossing her arms and smirking over at him from where she stood, tapping the toe of her shoe on the ground again. It was her default posture; mainly because for some reason it made her feel she had more power. Plus, on days like today, it allowed her skirt to move up her leg slightly more each time her foot tapped against the floor...and Emma loved putting on a show when it came to things like that. She was a tease, there was no doubt about it, and she liked leaving a little to the imagination of whoever it was she was trying to compell.
"So, effectively...you're breaking up with me within two minutes of talking to me." She gave a small laugh, her voice playful and light, biting on her bottom lip. "Wow...you really know how to make a girl feel special..."
Still giggling, she opened her mouth again, this time, her voice lowering in volume slightly. "Which is kind of funny...because...I kind of know how to make a guy feel special, too...if you're interested..." She smiled, biting her lip and looking Jay up and down again, then looking over her shoulder down the corridor. "And...don't worry about acting like an idiot in front of me...you've been doing great so far...and even if you do do something stupid...it's cute..."

Greyson continued to make his way down the corridor, smiling to himself and glancing back at Lissa over his shoulder a few times as he did so.
"Well...anyway...are you coming? I figured we could go up to the roof while everyone's still busy listening to the speeches...they always forget to leave the doors that lead up there locked, and nobody'll notice we're gone..." He said quietly, glancing towards another corridor which led off to the right. "Plus...the views from up there are great..."
The smile stayed on his face as he began to think back to the times he'd go up there alone to calm down after having one of his moments, or the times him and Lissa used to go up there together, just to get away from all the pressure from everyone else in the building. It was sort of his favourite place in the whole school, and he hadn't been up there for a few weeks now.

Zac debated whether to attempt to say something, but seeing the obvious tension between Aislin and Jamie, and also given the fact Aislin was now holding his knife, decided against it and stayed quiet. He might have been a cocky and loud, but he wasn't stupid. He knew when to keep his mouth shut. So instead, he just looked back and forth between them, waiting for the both of them to calm themselves down and return to normal, or for one to pull the other's head off. Although, truth be told...he wasn't all that sure what to be expecting.

Jay went bright red, when she started being playful, then he burst out laughing. "I'm sorry it just isn't working out between us." He joked and smiled when she told him about being an idiot. "How would you make me feel special?" He crossed his arms and stood legs shoulder width about, he was warming up to her.

Emma laughed softly when she heard Jay's comment about it not working out between them, smiling and pulling her lipstick out of her pocket.
"And he's funny, too? Oh my God, where have you been all my life?" She winked at him, rolling the lipstick up to the top and then running it over her lips again, then putting it back into her pocket and opened her mouth again to speak.
"And...as for making you feel special...why don't you come over here and find out yourself?" She teased, licking her lips slightly as she sensed her she-devil side starting to come through naturally. She wanted this boy. And she was going to make him want her, too.

Greyson smiled and waited until Lissa had caught up with him, before leaning down slightly and moving his lips towards her ear.
"...I'll race you..." He whispered quietly, grinning, and then dashed off down the corridor in front of her, veering around the corner down the right side hallway and laughing as he went. He loved being at the roof, so he was eager to get there...but part of him just wanted to race because it meant he could let off some steam and have fun. That wasn't something he got to do often.

Zac chewed the inside of his cheek, looking back and forth between Aislin and Jamie.
"...Uh, hey...Ai, do you, uh...maybe wanna...give me my knife for a sec?" He asked, holding out the open palm of his hand towards her hand which held his penknife. He felt like he needed to disarm her, and quickly...otherwise, this wasn't going to be pretty.

"In here, in the corners. As you do." Jay smirked and turned back around. "Maybe another time." He waved and went to an empty room and sat in the corner on top of some boxes. I want her, but she was just being her, wasn't she? I mean, why would she be interested in me? Samson appeared before him. "You are one smooth mo fo." He frowned.

[[SEVERE IGNORE RIGHT HERE!!!]]

Emma blinked as she heard the end of Jay's reply, the devilish smile being ripped from her face in a split second yet again, and she watched him walk away, her expression indifferent and calm. That is...until he disappeared into one of the other rooms and she was left alone in the corridor.
Another time? Another time? As in...not right this second. Not today. Not this week.
Not ever?
What the fuck was that even supposed to mean?
Why wasn't he falling in love with her? Why didn't he want her? Why? Why why why?
Staring at the wall in front of her for a few moments, her hands clenching into fists and breathing through her nose as she remained tight-lipped and still, she slowly reached into her pocket, pulling out the small tube of red lipstick again. Only this time, instead of applying some to her face, it was thrown down onto the floor at her feet, before being crushed to a messy red and silver pulp by the base of a black size 6 Jimmy Choo.
With that, she turned quickly on her heel and retreated back down the corridor the way she had come, leaving behind the remnants of her small outburst in a heap on the newly-polished floor.
"UNNNGH!" The loud, feral growl burst out of Emma's mouth as she burst back into the Quad through the double doors towards the back of the area a few moments later, drawing attention from a few of the first years who then quickly diverted their attention elsewhere after recieving a death glare in response. She stormed back into the main area and took her seat, biting down on her bottom lip so hard to prevent herself from screaming out again that she was convinced she'd draw blood. She wasn't angry at Jay, or anything he'd said or done...more so at herself, for not being interesting enough. For not trying too hard.
For not doing enough.
Sitting with her gaze diverted down to the ground and one hand gripping tightly into the other, she may not have been mad for a particular reason...but the next person to push her over the edge was going to get it. They were going to get it bad.

Working hard and running faster in order to stay in the lead, Greyson glanced back at Lissa and grinned at her as he diverted himself around another corner, towards the fire exit. Bursting through the doors with his right arm, he hurrying up the steps towards the door to the roof, laughing all the way, until he eventually pushed through the door and found himself out on the school's rooftop, surrounded by fresh air and a cityscape to die for. His lungs were burning with how fast he'd been moving, but he didn't care. It was all worth it for a sight like this.

Zac frowned and sighed quietly as he watched Aislin and Jamie facing off to one another, crossing his arms and tilting his head back towards the sky. He wasn't too sure why they hated eachother so much, but...the last thing he wanted was to get himself involved. He'd let them fight their own battles.
Looking towards the door when he heard a loud scream, he blinked and raised an eyebrow slightly as his eyes followed Emma from the door to her seat, not sure he even wanted to know what had gone on back there.

Jay gave up on the drawing and decided to head back to the memorial. He looked over to Emma and nodded with a smile. When he noticed her with Logan he quickly looked away. She was just going to embarrass me in front of them all. He sighed at the thought, she fooled him. "Oh, is he hitting on our girl?" Samson cooed. "Give him a good ol' fist to the nose." Samson imitate a boxer and started making his way to Logan. "At least he's just a figment of my imagination." Jay quietly laughed to himself before taking a his seat. He kept watching Emma from the corner of his eye.

Emma glanced up again with a quiet huff when she heard the doors to the Quad open again, then blinked when she saw Jay.
“…He’ll come to me…” She said quietly, giving a sideways glance to Logan and repositioned herself on her chair, moving her leg slightly so her skirt moved up an inch. She kept her eyes on Jay, smirking slightly at him when she managed to make eye contact, and lifted her hand to her hair to curl it around her finger again as she gently crooked it towards him slightly, to gesture for him to come over.

Greyson occasionally glanced back out at the view, but for the most part, kept his eyes glued to his friend, a small smile fixed on his lips. He was aware that since whatever had happened to her, something she wouldn’t even share with him, she wasn’t able to usually stay happy for long periods of time…and he’d managed to keep her smiling since he’d gotten to school. And, in a way…that kind of made him proud.

Zac rolled his eyes, giving out a small laugh. “Nah…I’m made of stronger stuff than that…you’re just not usually this forceful, that’s all…” He said, looking down at the cut on his finger.

Jay's eyes made contact with hers and he watched her as she motioned for him to move over, his eyes darted to Logan and he shook his head, his eyes locked on Logan. He changed his angle on his seat and looked at her smiling, but he was ready to look up to the headmistress if Logan looked in his direction. Jay sighed and looked at his phone, How much longer? He thought to himself.

Emma looked at Jay and rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Why not? I want you to..." She mouthed silently, attempting to catch his attention with another flirty little grin, then heard Logan and snapped out of their little conversation for a moment.
"Yeah?" She asked, turning her head to look fully at Logan when she heard him say her name, blinking once.

Greyson laughed softly as Lissa eventually spoke and moved away from the railings, then began walking towards her.
"Nothing...it's just nice to see you smiling, that's all..." He said quietly, taking a seat next to her.

Zac looked down at Aislin as she began to drink, an eyebrow raised slightly and his face otherwise looking very casual and indifferent. As he'd mentioned earlier, he'd just never understood the obsession...and, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't sure he even wanted to. But...if it was keeping his friend happy, then...what was the harm in it?
His lips broke into a regular smile as he watched her, a small laugh escaping as they did.